Always enjoy taking Jack and Vanessa sailing and we try to do it at least once during the season. We don’t always get to do it. Hurricanes and mechanical difficulties have spoiled our plans in the past but luckily they always have contingent plans. They usually take a few extra days and plan something else in the area. They were very pleased with their accommodations at the Neuse River Suites. Their first night at a hotel in Havelock was not as pleasant.

I had been off the whole week. I went to the big HamFest (amateur radio swapfest) in Shelby the Saturday before Labor Day and we picked up building supplies at Lowes on Sunday afternoon. Monday and Tuesday, Judy helped me put the vinyl siding on the south wall of the shop. The south wall will be the most difficult because of the height combined with the angles that have to be cut in the eaves. It went very well. We learned that installing vinyl siding is not rocket science but it does help to have two people. On Wednesday I worked on some minor projects in my radio shack. I think that was a first for me, devoting an entire day to “playing radio”. It was a great time and I got a lot done. The project list is still very long.

Thursday September 5, 2013
The weather forecasters were calling for great weather and we wanted to spend a little extra time on the boat so we left about 10:30 on Thursday morning. We were not in a hurry and the timing was right for us to have lunch with Matthew, Amber and Jonas. We went to the park for a few minutes after lunch. Matthew was on his lunch hour so we did not stay long. We arrived at the boat at about 6 pm and got unpacked. Since we had such a big lunch, dinner was the ship’s standard PB&J sandwich. We went to the cockpit after dinner and had a nice visit with Ken Jan Joey and Dorothy. We turned in and slept well. I almost always sleep well on the boat. I am not sure why but I am sure the 4” foam mattress is not the reason.

Friday September 6, 2013
No air conditioners were required the whole weekend. In fact a light jacket felt good until the sun came up. We weather was nice and we considered a short day sail until the clouds thickened and the wind piped up. The marine forecast called for 15 to 20 knots. This was a bit of a surprise and a change from the previous forecast, but they were still calling for a nice day on Saturday and that was the day that we really needed nice weather. On Thursday night I had disconnected the battery charger and turned the anchor light on. The idea was to simulate house battery usage for a night at anchor to make sure the batteries would support at least an anchor light for 10 hours. Wouldn’t you know it, the batteries were totally dead. I usually test the batteries earlier in the season but I had failed to do so this time. When I checked the acid level I could some sort of gunk in the cells. I figured that could not possibly be a good thing. I did not realize that the batteries had been in the boat since 2008. Five years is actually a pretty good run for WalMart batteries. We could probably have limped along with the cranking battery (which seemed to be fine) since we were not planning an overnight but it is the kind of thing that has to be dealt with sooner or later. We went into New Bern in search of batteries. While I was there my friend Ken called to ask me to pick up some hose that he needed at West Marine.

The local WalMart had deep cycle batteries but they were too big to fit in my battery area. I called my friend Richard, who lives in New Bern, and asked his advice about where to find what I needed. He suggested the “Batteries Plus” store which was just down the road from Wally World. I didn’t realize they carried automotive and marine batteries but they do, and they had the right size. The price was not a give away but I did not have anything to compare it to, since I had found no others. I suspect these batteries are of fair quality. I also suspect they are going to last about 5 years no matter what quality they are. We had a nice lunch at Moore’s BBQ. Their barbecued chicken is quite tasty. I could have done without the vinegar sauce but didn’t realize that until it was already on my plate. Judy did some shopping and we stopped by an antique store while we were close by. Judy is always on the lookout for some specific piece of furniture and she will eventually find what she is looking for at a reasonable price. Back at the boat I installed the new batteries, one of which is under the quarter berth and not really easy to get to. With the latest project complete and another nice lunch under our belt, dinner was again whatever we could find. The good news is that Judy is masterful at having something good to eat on board at all times. The weather was lovely by late evening. The humidity was low and for some unexplained reason there were no mosquitoes. We slept well with no air conditioning.

Saturday September 7, 2013
The forecast was holding steady. It called for winds 10 to 15 knots diminishing to 5 to 10 later in the day. The skies were clear with no forecast chance of rain or storms. It looked like a great day. Jack and Vanessa arrived 10:30. We already had the boat almost ready to go. We pushed off a little after 11 am. The forecast was just about right. There was plenty of wind but not too much. Vanessa really seems to like to go sailing. She is not timid about steering the boat and does a good job. We took a heading that would put us on an easy reach in the northeast breeze. We had no destination in mind so I let the wind determine our direction. We sailed about half way across the river then turned and headed up river toward Oriental. I spotted a phosphate barge and we cut back across to get a better look. By then we had been on the water for over two hours. I headed back toward the dock but was in no hurry. About 200 yards from the Broad Creek entrance I cranked the diesel but did not engage the transmission. We sailed past marker 1 and 2 and were approaching 4 when I engaged the engine and handed the wheel to Judy. I took the sails down and put the cover on so that would be done when we got back. We landed without incident and Jack and Vanessa went back to their room to rest and get ready for dinner. Judy fixed her famous chicken and black bean dish with a slight variation. Instead of cooking the chicken with the beans and corn, we grilled the meat on the ship’s outboard barbeque grill and she warmed the other ingredients in the microwave. This prevented having to deal with a hot boat. Fresh coleslaw and brown rice rounded out a very nice meal. The weather was still very nice and the wind had diminished as promised. We turned in early and slept well.

Sunday September 8, 2013
Judy usually gets up earlier than I do but this time it was not much earlier. Sunday is usually our go home day. We seldom plan anything other than packing and leaving. This day was no different. Judy was able to spot one of our pesky cabin leaks when I rinsed the boat off. Now that I know where it is leaking, fixing it won’t be a problem. There is always something to do on a boat.

It was a very nice weekend. I got some preventative maintenance done, we had a great time with Jack and Vanessa and spend some serious relaxing time. We hope to be very active in the coming weeks.